New York Comic Con 2026 kicked off with a packed hall of 3,000 fans gathered for the “Dragon Ball Super: Beerus SPECIAL PANEL.” The headline event featured the world premiere screening of Episode 1 of the highly anticipated upcoming series, alongside a flurry of major franchise updates.
Dragon Ball Super: Beerus is officially set to premiere in Japan this Sunday, October 11, with North American streaming platforms and release times to be announced soon. Positioned as an ENHANCED edition of the Dragon Ball Super anime based on Akira Toriyama’s original work, story, and character designs, the series promises a large volume of newly added and redrawn cuts, a completely reconstructed narrative flow, cutting-edge visual expression delivering more immersive battle scenes, and a tighter, more faithful representation of the original manga.
Star-Studded Panel and Fan-Fueled Excitement
The panel opened with English dub voice actor Monica Rial acting as MC, guiding the eager crowd through a virtual walkthrough of the bustling DRAGON BALL booth on the show floor. Attendees at the booth were treated to the striking SUPER Launch Visual artwork featuring Beerus and Goku, life-sized standing statues of Beerus and Whis, playable demo stations for Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World and DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 3, and an impressive new lineup of collectibles, including the exclusive S.H.Figuarts Super Saiyan 4 Son Goku -Exclusive Edition- figure. Fans in attendance also walked away with exclusive convention swag, including a themed Comic Con bag and a Super Saiyan God Goku headset.
“Today is day one of New York Comic Con, and I’m so happy to kick off the convention and share the world premiere of Dragon Ball Super: Beerus with so many fans.” — Monica Rial
Following the booth tour, English dub heavyweights Jason Douglas (the voice of Beerus) and Ian Sinclair (the voice of Whis) took the stage to roaring applause. Jason Douglas shared his love for the series and its writing, characters, and action, while Ian Sinclair expressed his deep gratitude for being part of such a beloved show and sharing a room with passionate fans.
The excitement reached new heights with exclusive video comments from legendary Japanese voice cast members. Masako Nozawa (the iconic voice of Son Goku) shared her enthusiasm for the franchise’s enduring legacy and the captivating story created by Toriyama-sensei. Meanwhile, Koichi Yamadera (the voice of the God of Destruction) hyped up the titular feline deity by urging fans to watch Beerus in action. To close out the presentation in classic fashion, Ms. Nozawa appeared in a final video message to lead the entire 3,000-person venue in a synchronized, roaring “Kamehameha,” uniting the crowd as one. The energy carried directly into the world premiere of Episode 1, which was met with thunderous applause from the opening scene to the credits.
Dragon Ball Super: Beerus and Major Franchise Updates Revealed
Alongside the panel, the event dropped a rapid-fire sequence of announcement videos spanning the wider Dragon Ball slate. These updates included new characters heading to Dragon Ball Legends and Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle, an official release date announcement for DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 3, and the upcoming FB11 and BT32 card sets for Fusion World.
The celebration extends far beyond the convention center walls. A fully wrapped Dragon Ball tour bus has hit the streets of New York for a month-long run starting October 5, accompanied by prominent key visuals plastered across city subway entrances. A matching wrapped bus and bus-stop displays are currently active in Los Angeles, while the Super Surge visual and Super Surge Trailer are popping up across 28 Simon malls nationwide, including the Haywood Mall in Greenville, SC, and Castleton Square in Indianapolis, IN.
